Hi-O, Silverado
by Cokie316
Summary: Steve and his trusty Silverado save the day!


"_**Hi-O, Silverado"**_

_**By Cokie**_

_**Explanation: Twice, I have seen a black Silverado at the grocery store near my house with a window decal saying "Hi-O, Silverado". The minute I saw it, I wanted to use the phrase but couldn't come up with a reason. I hope this is a plausible enough excuse for a story.**_

_**Explanation x 2: I'm going to show my age here. Yes, I used to watch reruns of "the Lone Ranger" on Saturday morning TV. I was NOT old enough to watch them when they were first run… thought I would establish that up front. **____** But for those of you 'youngsters' out there who don't know about the Lone Ranger (and didn't watch the Johnny Depp movie), the Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) was left for dead when a bunch of Texas Rangers were massacred. Native American Tonto (Jay Silverheels) found him and nursed him back to health. After he was well, they were going after the men who killed the Rangers. Tonto gave the LR a mask so that the bad guys wouldn't recognize him and realize he was still alive. (The mask was about as un-revealing as Clark Kent's glasses…) At the end of the episodes, when Tonto and the LR always saved the day, the Lone Ranger would ride away on his trusty horse, Silver. When Silver would stand on his hind legs, the LR would say, "Hi-O, Silver" and they would ride off into the sunset. **_

_**Hence, the decal of "Hi-O, Silverado" on a truck. It may not make sense to anyone but me… **_

_**Oh… and we are going to pretend that Hihimanu Street has a gully on both sides. Yes, it is a real street. Since I've never been to Hawaii, I am taking writer's license with the locale.**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Danny stood in the parking lot, keys in hand, admiring his new ride. Technically the car was the property of the Honolulu Police Department, but it was "his". He had loved the silver Camaro; it had served him well until being blown up a few days ago. Requisitioning a new car had taken a lot of paperwork, but photos attached to the requisition apparently sped the process along. There wasn't much to salvage since the car was roasted like a luau pig.

Danny had mourned the car for a short time, but they had managed to rescue Catherine that day, so the loss of a car was inconsequential in the scheme of things.

But now… _**this**_ car was newer… better… shinier… and he couldn't wait to get behind the wheel. He turned to the right when he heard a whistle…

"_Look at this. What a ride. Beautiful, huh?"_

"_It's nice," Steve replied while plucking the key right out of Danny's fingers. He opened the driver's door, adding "Let's go". He started the engine and added, "sounds good"._

_Danny went around to the passenger side and glared at his partner. "You're not gonna let me drive my new car." He slid in and muttered, "You're a jerk, do you know that?"_

_Danny argued that Steve was grinding the gears, when indeed, he was but Steve countered with, "I'm not grinding the thing. What are you talking about? Let me tell you… this thing's an animal. Zero to 60 in under five – under five, OK? Corners like it is stuck to the road. It is a dream. I love this car."_

"_Are you enjoying yourself?"_

"_I am, I am," Steve replied, a look of satisfaction on his face until Danny began his conversation regarding Catherine and Billy Harrington. Then his countenance changed drastically._

But Danny watched Steve's driving with trepidation. For the rest of the day.

After the case had been solved, they made it back to the ball park. There was a victory celebration following Grace's winning home run and Steve and Danny then climbed back into the Camaro. The team and their families had met at Big Kahuna's Pizza to celebrate. After a long argument over the fact that they weren't headed to Kamekono's to celebrate with shrimp, the big umpire finally decided to concede and eat pizza with them. It was noticeable that he and Steve did sit at opposite ends of the tables they had pushed together. Also noticeable were the dark looks the two men continued to cast to each other although no words were spoken and no dirt was kicked.

Catherine was driving her own car back to Steve's house and she had volunteered to drop Steve off to pick up the Marquis, but Danny had insisted that Steve drive the Camaro back to headquarters. After hugs and more high-fives to Grace, who went home with her mom, the sleek, black car peeled out of the parking lot.

Once they reached HQ… at a pace decidedly higher than the posted speed limit, Danny held out his hand to Steve. "Since you're already driving this car, let me drive your car back to my house. No need for you to get out now."

"Danny, that makes no sense. I don't need to drive you home – we both have cars now. I can go straight home."

"Yes, you could, but…"

"But what? What's wrong with you? You've been acting squirrelly all afternoon."

"Squirrelly? What does that even mean?"

"It means you've been acting really weird when we're in the car. Or more weird than normal."

"That's not true. But… I think it best that you drive the car home tonight."

"And your reason is?"

"Because… becauseI'mnotsurehowtodriveastickshift."

"Because what? Wait a minute. You can't drive a stick? Did you really say that you can't drive a five speed?"

"Yes, Steven, that is what I said. There is no need to give up my man card or anything because I never learned how to drive a standard transmission car."

"Well, it's kind of funny. Why didn't you say something when I signed the papers for this baby?"

"Because I didn't _**know**_ it wasn't an automatic."

"Really? You didn't happen to see the line that said 'five speed'? That's what it means."

"I know that's what it means, thank you very much. But I didn't pay any attention to it."

"OK," Steve said.

"OK, what?" Danny countered.

"OK, it isn't a problem. Tomorrow is Saturday. I'll come over early and teach you. It's a piece of cake."

"Piece of cake," the man says. "Don't you and Catherine have plans tomorrow?"

"No… not until the afternoon. This won't take long at all."

"Easy for you to say."

Steve tossed the keys to the Marquis to Danny. "I swear you'll get the hang of it in no time. Now get out. I'll meet you at your house. And take care of the Marquis…she's a classic."

"If classic means a 'huge hunk of black metal," Danny remarked beneath his breath.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Steve was spooned up against Catherine, sleeping soundly when one of their cell phones began buzzing. In sleep-induced hazes, they both reached for their phones, trying to blearily see the screens.

"Not me," Cath mumbled, already falling back to sleep.

Steve didn't even see who the call was from. "McGarrett," he answered with a yawn.

"Hey," Danny's voice said. "I need some help. Can you meet me?"

McGarrett became more awake and glanced at the clock on his phone… 0238. "What's wrong?" He knew something _**had**_ to be wrong if Danny was calling for assistance in the middle of the night.

"Nothing's wrong. I just need your assistance. Meet me on Hihimanu Street by Waimanalo Park."

"Danny, what the hell are you doing there?"

"Can you come or not?"

"Yeah, sure. Just..." he began detangling himself from the sheet. "… gimme a few minutes."

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring the truck and not Two-Ton Tessie, OK?"

"Whatever."

"Wha'swrong?" Catherine mumbled into her pillow.

"Don't know but Danny needs something. Go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."

"um… careful…"

"I will," Steve promised, pulling on a pair of pants. He was out the door in a couple of minutes and quickly passed Danny's street heading to where Danny asked to meet him. When he arrived on Hihimanu, he saw nothing. Steve passed the park and turned around again.

He got out of the truck cab and looked around. It was eerily quiet. A fine mist was falling and quickly he was damp; his tee shirt sticking to his back and shoulders. He was ready to get back into the truck and head to Danny's house when he heard his name.

"Steve?"

He looked around, seeing nothing. The road was two-lane and he checked the metal barrier on one side, which headed down a fairly steep embankment. Thankfully, he saw nothing below when Danny's voice filtered through once again. Steve quickly crossed to the other side of the road and made out his partner's figure several feet down the road and then down. This side of the road was much less steep, hence no guard rail, but Danny… and the Camaro… were down there, the car setting on all four wheels at the bottom of the ditch.

"Do not say one word, Steven."

Steve half walked, half slid down the slick, wet grassy embankment.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Danny mumbled. "Can you get this," he waved at the car, "outta here?"

"How'd it get here?" Steve asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought you couldn't… never mind."

"I was doing OK," Danny admitted, "until I hit a slick spot. You know, you can find everything on YouTube."

Steve turned to stare at his partner. "You watched YouTube to learn how to drive a car?"

"It was working, Steve. Until, well," he waved his hand upward to the road. "Can you carefully get it out? I don't think anything is damaged."

"Why didn't you call dispatch?"

"Why?" Danny asked. "Why, you ask? Because I was just issued this car yesterday. Do you think I want everyone in HPD to know that I put it in a ditch? That's why I called you. Do you think you can keep this discreet?"

Steve grinned.

"It is not funny, Steven."

"It kind of is."

"No, it is not. And you don't breathe a word of it or I will make sure everyone knows how you landed the old Camaro in a pineapple field."

"Can't prove it," Steve countered. He reached down and was feeling under the back bumper of the black car. "Be right back."

After a few slips in the grass on the trip up, he reached the road and Danny soon heard the truck back up to the edge of the road, its back facing the ditch. Steve got out and began rummaging through the box in in the truck bed. Lying down beneath the truck, he hooked a cable behind the bumper and then tossed it down near Danny. "There's a cut out in the undercarriage to attach the winch to," Steve called out. "Make sure it is in place and then move out of the way. I'm going to have to bring the car up at an angle."

Danny did as requested and then moved away. "Got it."

"Give me a minute. Yell if there's a problem."

Steve got back behind the wheel and began to slowly, but steadily pull the car from its early grave, only stopping when the entire Camaro was back up on the roadway. He cut the ignition on the truck and hopped out, moving to unhook the winch.

"Is she OK?" Steve asked, giving the Camaro a once over.

"Yeah. Thanks to Hi-O, Silverado."

"Huh?" Steve looked at him in confusion.

"You know, Hi-O, Silver… the horse? Hi-O, Silverado… the truck. Get it?"

"I get it, Danny. You think I'm the Lone Ranger."

"No, I most certainly do not. I merely commented on the name of your truck."

"No, I'm the Lone Ranger and my truck is my trusty Hi-O Silver. You know who that makes you—"

"Don't say it."

"Really, D, if I'm the Lone Ranger, you have to be—"

"Steven. I said 'don't. say. it'."

"—Tonto!"

"What part of 'don't say it' is so hard for you to understand?"

"And Tonto even ends in an "O" just like Danno."

"I so hate you."

"No, you don't. I just rescued your car."

"Yes, trust me, I do hate you. I should have left the car until morning and called a tow truck."

"You can't leave a nice car like that in a gully overnight. It would have been stolen," Steve wisely pointed out. "But if you don't like 'Tonto', I could always call you—"

"Don't you dare go there. Really. I'm begging you to shut up."

"—Kemosabe. It has a nice ring to it."

"Give me the truck key. I'm going home."

"No, I'm parking the truck. You're gonna learn how to drive this car right now."

"I just put it in a huge ditch," Danny yelled with a wave of his arms. Driving home is not such a good idea. Especially in the mood you've put me in."

"Listen, you can watch about a bagillion Youtube videos or we can do this the easy way. Now get in the car. This is a really nice stretch of straight road. If you can just keep it between the ditches—"

"Bite me," was Danny's snarled remark as he got into the driver's seat and slammed the car door.

"There is no traffic tonight so it's a perfect night to practice. See the rain has even stopped," Steve calmly said while climbing into the passenger seat.

"Don't you need to get back to Catherine?" Danny asked.

"Nah, she's asleep," Steve assured him. "Now start this baby up."

"Yes, teacher."

"You can call me 'Ranger' for short."

"You are so full of yourself, you know that?"

"Yeah, Baby. OK, left foot on the clutch, right on the brake. Car in neutral."

"Got it; I learned that much."

"Put it in first…ease up on the clutch. Now…"

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Forty minutes later, Danny pulled to a smooth stop next to the Silverado.

"Want me to follow you home?" Steve asked while opening the car door.

"No, I've got this. Hey… thanks."

"Pick me up Monday morning?" Steve asked.

"Sure."

"But then I get to drive," Steve reminded his partner.

"It's my car."

"But I'm the better driver," Steve countered.

"Faster does not mean better," Danny argued.

"Sure it does, Kemosabe."

"Just so you know," Danny began. "All those times Tonto called the Lone Ranger "Kemosabe?"

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "It was a term of endearment."

"Not so much. You see, in Comanche, 'Kemosabe' means 'a horse's rear end'. So, on that note, good night, and see you around… Kemosabe."

With a pop of the clutch, Danny gunned the engine and peeled out of the lot… leaving Steve and the Silverado in his dust. 

_**~~~H50~~~**_


End file.
